Accessible machining for people who use wheelchairs

Article type: Case Report

Authors: Marino, D. Joshua^a | Rivera, Victor^b | Joseph, James^a | Williams, Randy^a | Jeannis, Hervens^a | Goldberg, Mary^a | Grindle, Garrett G.^a | Kimmel, Joshua^a | Cooper, Rory A.^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA | [b] Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Rory A. Cooper, PhD, 6425 Penn Avenue, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA. Tel.: +1 412 822 3700; Fax: +1 412 822 3699; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act mandate for reasonable accommodations, wheelchair users are often placed in the role of observer and note-taker when learning machining and fabrication skills due to a lack of accessibility. The focus of this case study report is to identify and develop reasonable accommodations for wheelchair users in an academic machine shop environment to address accessibility limitations of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) machines. Individual wheelchair users working and learning within the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) were observed and interviewed about their experiences using the machine shop equipment without modifications, followed by further observations after accommodations were implemented.

Keywords: Machining, engineering, accessibility, worksite accommodations

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-192870

Journal: Work, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 361-370, 2019